A Chansiri presence, snooker fans and guarded elephants: Inside Sheffield Wednesday's day of protest
Saturday saw the strongest display of protest to date by Sheffield Wednesday supporters hoping for Dejphon Chansiri to end his association with the club. Alex Miller reflects on an afternoon painted yellow and black.
Perched on picnic tables and grasping flasks of tea in a slightly biting Springtime temperature, a middle-aged couple stared up into the big screen as John Higgins compiled a break that would go on to help earn him a thrilling win over Xiao Guodong and a place in the quarter-finals of the Snooker World Championships. The match was taking place just a stone’s throw away at the iconic Crucible Theatre.
Over their shoulder, as banners were unfurled and chit-chat volume rose among those who had arrived early, a crowd grew. It was only a few dozen - more Sheffield Wednesday supporters dressed in yellow watched on from the nearby Head of Steam pub - by the time Supporters Trust chairman Ian Bennett passionately addressed the crowd and set them off on the wander towards Hillsborough stadium.
With interviews undertaken and having decided a four-mile walk was a little too heavy for professionally impartial legs to bear, The Star made its way back past the snooker crowd in search of the next tram. Having noticed us filming and taking notes, the middle-aged man jumped up from his flask and called out for an explanation of what all the fuss was about. He was wearing a Nottingham Forest jacket.
“Oh aye,” he said in reply. “Terrible what they’re having to deal with there. Good luck to ‘em. Never minded Wednesday. It’s not long since we were like that you know, after Cloughie left it never really felt the same until these last few years and now look at us. Mind you, we had that Dave Bassett. Was he Wednesday? Anyway, these new owners, they come in and they don’t understand..”
We never saw that next tram.
That initial gathering at The Crucible, just metres from where The Wednesday FC was formed all those years ago, was symbolic in that it provided a memorable photo opportunity and brought the conversation into the city centre for the first time, right into the gaze of the biggest cultural event in the city’s calendar. But it felt thin. Like some Wednesday protests held previously in the last couple of years, the feeling was that social media passion had not reflected in real-life comradeship. What chance a ripple in Bangkok given the message had barely registered on a picnic table just a Higgins screwback away?
And then.
Fast forward two hours and the imagery was very, very different. Any notion of indifference at Hillsborough Park from 2pm was dissolved by a display of passionate, reasonable and determined protest as what we will confidently describe as a four-figure crowd made its way through the park. One or two shoehorned and frankly unnecessary lyrics to a popular anti-Chansiri song aside, the short demonstration had a spirit of roaring dignity to it as Wednesday fans of all ages and walks of life made their way towards Hillsborough.
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The sight of the procession making its way over the hill with the stadium in view was a rich and powerful one and set to the backdrop of a largely unified response from fan groups to what they feel was a mismanagement too far last month, the strength of feeling was greater then anything witnessed previously. Conversations had on the day with spectators who had chosen not to take part in previous marches recovered a wide range of opinions. On Saturday, that range was much smaller and was pointed in one direction.
“I’ve already bought my season ticket for next season, but if he’s still here after next season that’ll be it for me,” was a repeat theme even for those choosing not to take part in the demonstration itself.
The protest was organised by the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust. A controversial handling of a Friday evening social media post making clear they had not specifically agreed to the signing-off of minutes from a recent EP meeting sparked what appeared to be fractures in a previously unified response and unintentionally directed criticism towards other groups. What happens next remains to be seen.
Teased suggestions by organisers that Dejphon Chansiri would be present at the game proved false and The Star is assured he was never scheduled to be there. Interestingly, some of his family including at least one of his brothers, we’re told, were present and amid protest watched on from the director’s box until the 85th minute.
As the largest Wednesday supporter group by far and having carried out surveys to garner support for such action, a clear mandate is there for the Trust to act. And while it seemed to have little impact on a fierce, successful protest with no report of unsavoury incident, conversations had on the day suggest there is a sense from like-minded fans that tweaks could and should be made to get their house in order and avoid fractious and distracting mistakes. There’s an acceptance of that from board members of the Trust itself - it’s still early days in their mission, after all.
At the stadium, extra security was placed on the steps of the reception to guard against any risk of damage to the golden elephants that have become something of a symbol of Chansiri’s reign. Quarter of an hour or so before kick-off, an elderly gentleman leaned on a walking aid and raised a protest banner, shouting into the reception doors for a few moments to express an anger at how his football club was being run. A young relative stood close by in a yellow shirt.
Demonstrations continued into the stadium in the form of yellow and black balloons being waved and released into the air from the stands throughout much of a side note 1-1 draw with Portsmouth. Punctured rubber lay on the pitch in places and served as a reminder of the bigger picture whenever the ball rolled close. As has become something of a theme since cashflow issues prevented the timely payment of some player and staff wages for March, it was played out to the increasingly clear soundtrack of Chansiri protest chanting.
After a couple of false starts and the stepping-back of the well-intentioned but controversial 1867 Group, support of protest has been ramped up. Questions remain over Chansiri’s asking price and the realism over any mode of sale he may - or may not - engage in. Questions remain over the direction of the club going forward and the EFL’s 30-day rule continues to hang over Wednesday like a dark cloud. Questions, questions, questions.
There is no question, however, that the strength of feeling among the fanbase has risen to heights never seen before. With a long and matchless summer ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how and whether that momentum continues. Finally, the spirit of resistance has arrived at Sheffield Wednesday.